incredible birthday adventure - day 4

Day 4 started with a trip to Noah’s Ark Waterpark. We kept the camera in the locker, so there aren’t too many pictures, but we have tons of good memories. All four of us loved the wave pools and spent at least an hour being tossed around by giant swells. Both kids are becoming great swimmers, Punk made a seven foot dive to retrieve a stick that two teenagers lost at the bottom of the pool. Punk and I braved the Stingray and the Time Warp, while Kooka and Dad stuck to the milder rides – the “Kaiabunga” being a particular favorite. Nobody wanted to leave, but there was so much more to see.



We took a quick break at the hotel, then headed to TOP SECRET. Punk had been begging us to take him here since he was four years old. Needless to say, he was not disappointed. He loved the upside down White House, the cheesey special effects, alien skulls, and giant T-rex. He also loved correcting the tour guide, who was pointing out a picture of President Taft. Raising his hand ever so politely, Punk pointed out, “Um that is not President Taft, that’s Teddy Roosevelt.” The tour guide stammered for a second and said, “Well let’s pretend it’s Taft,” and proceeded to tell the story about Taft’s ghost haunting the room, which suddenly made no sense since now we all knew that it wasn’t even him in the picture.



After that it was on to the Rick Wilcox Magic Show. Forget dancing, gardening, even being a doctor – between the Houdini exhibit, reading Harry Potter, and watching this Wilcox dude turn fire into live doves, Kooka has found her new calling, she’s been telling anyone who will listen that she is going to be a magician when she grows up. She and her new plastic wand have been rehearsing the only trick she knows all night. Both kids were very impressed with the show – and posed for a picture with the magicians afterward.

It was almost 10:00 when we got to Moose Jaw Pizza and microbrewery, which Punk instantly christened “The House of Death.” We’ll give you a clue why:

We expected rustic. We expected log-cabin. We did not expect to be stared at by severed boar’s heads on our way to the restroom. And the whole place was like this. – moose heads, dead raccoons climbing trees, tiny deer paws for doorknobs. There wasn’t a single space in the entire restaurant where a person could sit and not see animal carcasses (we asked). Within minutes, Punk was freaking out, and I took him outside for a walk. I asked him what he wanted to do, and he decided he wanted to talk to the manager. Punk began like this, “I don’t mean to be rude, but do you have any idea how difficult it is to eat a sausage pizza with a severed deer’s head staring at you?” Manager Scott was so very kind and told Punk that he himself was an animal lover, who didn’t hunt, and who helped his mom care for her 15 cats (I won’t even start on that). Punk then asked if those cat’s severed heads should ever be used for decoration. Manager Scott said “No,” and that maybe they should have at least one room without dead animals. At which point, Punk, feeling much better took his seat and said, “Hmmmm, maybe one little 8 year old kid can make a difference.”
Tomorrow we are going to feed the alligators. Kooka is very exited. Punk is already worrying about what exactly they will be eating. I don’t know - but the deer park is right across the street.